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I am glad to welcome the participants of the Meeting of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Yerevan.

This year we celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the Council of Europe, and until now the organisation continues to act as an exceptional structure for the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, having an impact on the lives of 700 million people.

Armenia’s European orientation is a result of natural choice: It stems from the agenda of democratic reforms of our state, because with its past and present, Armenia is an inseparable part of European civilization, based on a common value system and a unique historical and cultural heritage.

The Council of Europe is an important partner for Armenia in order to strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the implementation of reforms in our country. The results of our joint efforts are visible and irreversible.

The ongoing reforms in the country also serve as a pillar of security for us and are directly related to our steps aimed at achieving peace in the region. It is possible to achieve lasting peace through the respect towards development of a sovereign, stable and democratic state, human rights and fundamental principles of international law.

Today, we face serious challenges in the most different corners of the world. Speaking about our region, I should say that Armenia faces serious security and humanitarian problems. Unfortunately, after the Reykjavik Summit, we once again witnessed gross violations of the principle of non-use of force and human rights.

We highly appreciate the targeted responses and actions of the Council of Europe bodies aimed at addressing the needs of the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh settled in Armenia. International protection of the rights of the forcibly displaced population of Nagorno-Karabakh is important, including under the Council of Europe convention system. Taking this opportunity, I would also like to express our gratitude to PACE for keeping the issue of the imperative of repatriating Armenian captives still held in Azerbaijan in the spotlight.

Despite the existing challenges, Armenia is making active efforts to establish stable and lasting peace in the region. In the context of normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, we have ratified the first international legal document ever between Armenia and Azerbaijan - the Regulations for Joint Activities of the Two Commissions Dealing with Delimitation. The basis of the border delimitation process is the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, which means that our borders are the borders established during the Soviet Union, as defined by that document, with which both countries gained independence.

As an important component of the peace agenda, Armenia has initiated the Crossroads of Peace project, which is our roadmap for lasting peace, aimed at effectively unblocking regional communications and ensuring sustainable economic development, based on the principles of jurisdiction, sovereignty and legislation of countries, reciprocity and equality.

I would like to express my gratitude to all our colleagues of the member states of the Council of Europe, who consistently assist establishing peace in our region for the benefit of protection of human rights.

I wish you effective work and pleasant days in hospitable Armenia.